I am fear itself – the terror hidden in your darkest dreams.

-Darkseid

In the DC universe, there is no being as evil as the one named Darkseid, the “Wielder of the Holocaust”. The very mention of this New God sends shivers throughout the multiverse. His cruelty and tyranny are what define him, following a history of bloodshed, which has led to a desire for a future under his rule. What led to such a creature?

Paradise Lost

Centuries after the Old Gods died, two worlds were created in the image of good and evil, and the hellish planet Apokolips was the latter. A dark royal court led the world with an iron fist. Among the court was the wicked Prince Uxas, whose intellect made him a worthy tactician in the eyes of his evil mother “Queen Heggra”, and respected by his peers, however, Uxas had one flaw: he was in love. Suli, a scientist on Apokolips, caught the prince’s eye, and the two began a secret affair within the court eventually birthing a son. The romance was cut short however, after Suli mysteriously died leaving a bitter Uxas to harden his heart in defense, much to his mother’s delight.

New God Flow

In the following years Uxas pillaged and conquered in the name of Apokolips, often with his ruthless uncle Steppenwolf and pacifist older brother Drax, the Queen’s personal allies. It was also at this time where Heggra chose a dark woman named Tigra to marry her youngest son. After many victories, Drax planned to travel to the “Omega Realm”, and claim his birthright and godhood. Unfortunately, Uxas had plans of his own when he joined his brother.  During the process, Drax is murdered by his brother who takes the power for himself. With the realm giving great powers, the darkness within Uxas had resulted in a cold and demonic appearance outside. The Old Gods would weep in despair at the birth of the supreme evil known as Darkseid. The name itself was an ancient title that most feared on Apokolips. Darkseid returned to his home and greeted his mother, who was impressed and pleased with her son’s mercilessness. With the fear from his world, the respect of his mother, and a spiteful wife, Darkseid’s plan had only just begun.

Omega

Apokolips was a juggernaut in destruction and conquering, but their rivals would always be in the way of true success. The shining utopia that is New Genesis had stopped their enemies’ schemes for too long. Something had to be done. Darkseid had secretly made a deal with Metron, the New God of Knowledge, allowing Apokolips to access the newly created “Boom-Tubes”, a device to teleport great distances. Soon after, Darkseid and Steppenwolf traveled to New Genesis to hunt. The visit resulted in a young Highfather witnessing the murder of his wife. In a blind rage the leader declared a war that the galaxy had never witnessed. As the war intensified, Steppenwolf was slain, and Apokolips was ravaged. Highfather’s fury echoed both worlds, as Darkseid silently laughed. Gone were the days of a diplomatic rivalry, it was now personal. It was also around this time that Tigra had bore a son with her cruel husband.

The Pact

Years had passed, with Queen Heggra dying under stranger circumstances, and Darkseid becoming ruler of a growing Apokolips. Metron worries that the war of the worlds will kill them all, and in a last-ditch attempt he debates with Darkseid for a truce. The tyrant is not interested, until he hears the way it will be handled: both leaders will exchange sons in an effort to hold peace, so long as the boys remain on their new world. Darkseid agrees only to spit his rival, and orders that his son with Tigra is used in the switch whiel his son with Suli has grown to become a fierce warrior. In a bitter exchange, the worlds had committed to a pact, and no one dared to challenge it. Except for Darkseid. He had plans to ensure that Highfather’s son go through pure hell, and conveniently escape, reigniting the war legitimately.

Anti-Life

In a plot thickening turn of events, Darkseid’s agreement to a truce between worlds was for him to study and eventually obtain the Anti-Life Equation, a source of raw power to control the very souls of whomever it contacts. Controlling such a concept would mean that no being would stand in his way, and he could reshape the past, present and future in his image. His dedication leads to decades of research and death before finally pinpointing his search to humans on Earth. It is at this point, New Genesis can no longer stand by, and send their champion Orion, son of Darkseid. The perseverance to find the solution to this almost unsolvable equation leads to the tyrant becoming obsessed after his son and other champions stand to oppose him.

Endless War

It would go without saying that Darkseid has the ultimate God-Complex, but how did he come to the conclusion the he deserves to subjugate the universe? It’s a simple answer, his title of “Omega” suggests that he considers himself the end. It could be interpreted as the end of free-will, however the chilling title means more in his eyes. Within the Fourth World, the area of the universe inhabited by the “New Gods”, the worlds rely heavily on mirror based societies, light vs dark, or good vs evil.  Despite there being New Gods of all types: war, death, brutality, freedom and freedom-fighting just to name a few, no one has gave themselves a title like Darkseid. It would be obvious to conclude that Highfather would be the “Alpha” to Darkseid’s “Omega, but he is not. In the tyrant’s viewpoint, there is no one that truly challenges him. If no one claims they are “Alpha” to oppose his title, it is because he is both “Alpha and Omega”. It is this line of thinking that leads him to deciding that unlike the Old Gods before him, he is the one that will unify all worlds under his rule, and no one and nothing will stop him from achieving that goal. It is this thought process that has led him to an endless war with New Genesis, guardians of the universe, and specifically protectors of Earth (especially a certain Kryptonian).

The New 52 era of Darkseid’s updated origin is equally fascinating, if not clean and simple. Once again named Uxas, he was a farmer that opposed the Old Gods’ rule. After murdering them, he gained their powers and became the supreme New God of evil. The cold demeanor, and colder mind creates a formidable foe to any that dares to oppose such a being. That is what makes him such a compelling character. He doesn’t need much reasoning behind igniting wars and gaining control. Darkseid is a being that is worshipped by many and feared by the rest. He exists solely to combat the ideology of “good”, and massacres anyone who stands in his way. Darkseid is an action. Darkseid is the result. Simply put: Darkseid Is.

I have given one straight path! One clear purpose! One goal: To die for Darkseid!

-Darkseid